The invention relates to latches and, more particularly, bolt latches with locks for doors and the like.
Outer screen doors or storm doors for homes commonly are provided with some sort of inside locking mechanism which ordinarily can be easily forced open from the outside or conveniently unlatched from the outside after the glass or screen in the door has been broken through. Consequently, these locking mechanisms are not particularly effective as a deterrent to a burglar and provide very little additional security.
Bolt type latches are widely used as inside door locks because of their simple operation, low cost and effectiveness. Such latches typically include a rod or bolt mounted on a support bracket for rotational and longitudinal movement by a knob or handle on the bolt. The support bracket usually includes a slotted guideway through which the handle projects and the guideway has detents which receive the handle and serve to prevent movement of the bolt from a latched position to an unlatched position, and vice versa, unless the handle is rotated to a generally horizontal position. Exemplary prior art constructions for bolt latches are listed below:
______________________________________ Patentee U.S. Pat. No. Issue Date ______________________________________ Engert 2,403,065 July 2, 1946 Jaden 2,543,171 February 27, 1951 Squyer 156,238 October 27, 1874 Smith 1,159,877 November 9, 1915 Kistner 2,845,789 August 5, 1958 Pellicore 2,924,862 February 16, 1960 ______________________________________
A bolt latch which is effective as an inside lock for outer screen or storm doors is disclosed in Budish U.S. Pat. No. 4,275,910. The Budish latch prohibits a burglar from opening the outer door by simply breaking through the glass or screen in the vicinity of the latch, reaching through the opening and rotating the handle to a horizontal or operating position, and sliding the bolt to the unlatched position. The latch in U.S. Pat. No. 4,275,910 cannot be unlocked from outside the door, however.